The 12-acre Sullivan's Ledge disposal area, in the northwestern corner of New Bedford, operated as a quarry until about 1932. In 1935, the City of New Bedford acquired the site through tax title foreclosure. Between the 1940s and the 1970s, local industries used the quarry pits and adjacent areas for disposal of hazardous material and other wastes including electrical capacitors, fuel oil, volatile liquids, tires, scrap rubber, demolition materials, brush and trees. After a fire at the site in the 1970s, the City backfilled the only existing open pit and covered all exposed refuse. In 1982, when the Massachusetts Department of Public Works drilled test borings as part of a plan to build a commuter parking lot, electrical capacitors, which may have caused polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination, were unearthed.

Approximately 98,500 people live within 3 miles of the site in this residential area. Within 1 mile of the site are two nursing homes and three schools. The New Bedford Municipal Golf Course is located immediately north of the site. An unnamed stream borders the site and discharges into Middle Marsh, which is on the golf course. Immediately north of the marsh lie railroad tracks, the Apponagansett Swamp, and the City of New Bedford municipal landfill.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the on-site and immediately off-site groundwater increase with depth. Inorganic compounds and PCBs also are present in the groundwater. The soil was contaminated with PCBs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The soils along the eastern and southern boundaries contained the highest contaminant concentrations. Soils have eroded from the site into the unnamed stream and have been transported from the site. Sediments in the unnamed stream, Middle Marsh, four golf course water hazards, and a portion of the Apponagansett Swamp were contaminated with PCBs. The quarry area was capped to reduce potential exposures. Likewise, the Unnamed Stream, Middle Marsh, and water hazards have been cleaned and the resulting materials buried within the on-site cap.

The City of New Bedford erected a fence around the Sullivan's Ledge Landfill from 1984 to 1985 to limit the potential for exposure to hazardous materials at the site.

Sullivan's Ledge Disposal Area

The EPA chose the following remedies for cleaning up the disposal area portion of the site: excavate and dispose of sediments from the stream and the golf course water hazards; construct an impermeable cap over an 11-acre area to cover the quarry pits and contain the contaminated surface soils and sediments that would be placed on site; divert and line a portion of the unnamed stream to prevent water from being pulled into extraction wells; install an active pumping system to collect contaminated shallow bedrock groundwater, a passive collection system to collect contaminated seeps and shallow groundwater, and a treatment system to treat collected groundwater; restore and enhance the wetlands to reasonably similar hydrologic and botanical conditions that existed prior to excavation; monitor the site with 5-year reviews; and use institutional controls to ensure that the bedrock groundwater will not be used for drinking water since it cannot be cleaned to drinking water standards. The groundwater treatment plant began operating in late 1999. Construction on the cap began in the spring of 1998 and was completed in 2000.

Middle Marsh

In 1989, the EPA began a study of the contamination in the Middle Marsh sediments. In 1991, the EPA released results of the studies undertaken, which indicated significant PCB accumulation in wildlife in and around Middle Marsh. While sediments in the Marsh also were found to be heavily contaminated with PCBs, the threat to human health was judged to be negligible. A decision on the appropriate cleanup remedy was reached in late 1991. The EPA chose the following remedy for Middle Marsh: establish security measures and clear the land; excavate contaminated sediments from portions of the Middle Marsh and the adjacent wetland; screen and dewater the excavated sediments; dispose of the excavated materials beneath the cap to be constructed at the Sullivan's Ledge Disposal Area; restore the affected wetlands; use institutional controls to prevent future residential use of and restrict access to the area; and establish a long-term environmental monitoring plan. Initial construction activities began in 1999 and were completed during 2000.

Enforcement Highlights

An agreement was reached with 14 parties potentially responsible for site contamination to pay for cleanup of the Sullivan's Ledge Disposal Area. A separate agreement was reached with 15 potentially responsible parties to pay for the Middle Marsh Area cleanup.

Fencing the area has limited the potential for exposure to hazardous materials at the Sullivan's Ledge Landfill. Capping of the site and the extraction of contaminated soils and sediments began in 1998. A groundwater treatment plant has been constructed and began operations in late 1999. The remainder of the remedy was completed during 2000.Capping of the site and the replanting of wetlands were completed in 2000. Activities at the site include operation and maintenance of the groundwater treatment plant, the control of landfill gas from the site landfill, and the restoration of the wetlands impacted by the cleanup. Operation and maintenance of the site remedy is being conducted by the responsible parties in conjunction with the City of New Bedford.

The first Five Year Review of the remedy was completed in 2002 and the second was completed in September 2008. The Five-Year reviews evaluates whether the remedial actions at the Site are protective to human health and the environment.

EPA completed the third Five-Year Review for the site in September 2013. The findings in 2013, indicate the the the Site is protective in the short-term, but additional actions need to be taken for the Site to be protective in the long-term. Further information of the required actions are described in the third Five Year Review, available below.

In December 2013, EPA approved the installation of a 1,760 kW DC Rated Photovoltaic System on the site cap. The system included 5490 solar panels that will cover most of the 11 acres of the cap. The power generated from this system will help meet the City of New Bedford's energy goals of purchasing power from renewable sources. The City of New Bedford along with their contractors will ensure that the system is operating and maintained in accordance with plans and specifications for the life of the solar array system. EPA will continue to provide oversight of monitoring activities and verify that the integrity of the cap is maintained.